Crochet Small Basket with Handles

My friend recently moved to the area and of course (if you have read a previous post) I made her a gift basket, literally. I hadn't even considered crocheting a basket so, this has to be fun, right? I didn't even have to go looking for the pattern... I already had the pattern pinned on my pinterest page!  I saw these baskets and fell in love with them.

The basket shown is the smallest size for the pattern I found.  So, the pattern I followed--with modifications, or course-- is the one I found here.

Modifications include:

• Instead of holding 2 skeins of super thick and chunky yarn together, I held 4 strands of worsted weight yarn together.  I ended up using Red Heart Super Saver yarn in Aran Flecks.  The pattern took a little less than 2 skeins of yarn.  
• I extended the base of the pattern by one round.  So, after Round 6, I continued to increase so my final stitch count was 56 instead of 48. (Message me if you have a question about this)
• For the handles (Round 14-15 in the pattern):
• Rnd 14: Ch 2, hdc in next 9 sts, ch 12, skip the next 10 sts, hdc in next 18 sts, ch 12, skip the next 10 sts, hdc in the next 9 sts, join with sl st
• Rnd 15: Ch1, sc in the same st and in the next 9 sts, work 15 sc under the ch 12 space (do not work into the stitches, instead when you would go into them, go under them instead), sc in the next 18 sts, work 15 sc under the ch 12 space, sc in the next 9 sts, join with sl st, F/O and weave in ends

This basket makes a great gift.  I might make one for my boyfriend as an Easter basket this year.

ENJOY!

Wrap Around Baby Booties

So, I don't know about everyone else but, I am at the age where my friends are starting to have babies (crazy, I know, but they are mostly older than me).  So, of course, I want to make them something cute to start off their young ones lives.

I have made baby booties in the past so, why not try another pair... right?  During my search, I found these gems... Aren't they absolutely ADORABLE?????

They don't look too hard to make so, I searched in google for "crochet baby wrap around boots pattern" and lucky me, I found this pattern from I'm Topsy Turvy  

I have made three pairs of the booties following the pattern on the blog, two for friends having babies and a work friend ordered a pair from me!  

Then, I had a request from the same work friend.  Her daughter received an American Girl Doll for Christmas this year (so exciting, I had one as young girl) and she was wondering if I could make one to fit the doll.  So nice of her to want to surprise her daughter with something special!

First I had to find out the size of the doll's feet (2-5/8" x 1-3/8") and then I started experimenting with the pattern.  Here is what I went off of:

Materials:

4.00mm crochet hook

Caron Simply Soft yarn in Grey Heather

2 pink buttons

Abbreviations:

ch: chain

sc: single crochet

hdc: half double crochet:

sc2tog: single crochet 2 together

dc2tog: double crochet 2 together

dc3tog: double crochet 3 together

sl st: slip stitch

Directions:

Sole
ch 11
Rnd 1: sc in 2nd ch, sc 3 times, hdc 3 times, hdc 7 times in last ch, (other side of initial chain), hdc 3 times, sc 3 times, sc 4 times in last ch, sl st in first sc (24)
Rnd 2: ch 1, sc in same sc, sc 5 times, hdc, 2hdc 3 times, 3hdc, 2hdc 3 times, hdc, sc 6 times, 2sc 3 times, sl st in first sc (35)

Boot
Rnd 1: ch 1, (working in black loops for the entire round) sc around (35) --if you sc in the same sc at the beginning, your seam will be nicer looking
Rnd 2-3: ch 1, sc around (35) --if you sc in the same sc at the beginning, your seam will be nicer looking
Rnd 4: ch 1, sc in the same sc, sc 7 times, sc2tog, dc2tog, dc, dc3tog, dc, dc2tog, sc2tog, sc around, sl st (29)
Rnd 5: ch 1, sc in the same sc, sc 5 times, sc2tog, dc2tog, dc3tog, dc2tog, sc2tog, sc around, sl st (23)
Rnd 6: ch 1, sc in the same sc, sc 3 times, dc, dc3tog, dc, sc2tog, sc around, sl st (19)
F/O weave in ends.

Boot Cuff
for the right boot, sl st in the 4th st from the seam
for the left boot, sl st in the 8th st from the seam
(there will be 3 sts in the front of the boot--dc, dc3tog, dc)
ch 15
Rnd 1: hdc in 3rd ch from hook -first 2 ch counts as first hdc, hdc in next 11 ch, hdc in first sc (the one you sl st in), hdc 16 times (there will be 3 spaces left), skip 3 spaces, sc in last space.

Rnd 2: ch 2 (counts as hdc), turn, hdc in first hdc, hdc around, (when there are 4 sts left) ch 1 skip one hdc, hdc in last 3 sts 

Rnd 3: ch 2 (counts as hdc), turn, hdc in the 3 hdc, hdc in ch1 space, hdc around 

Rnd 4 scallops: turn, 5dc in second dc, [skip 1 hdc, sc in next hdc, skip 1 hdc, 5dc in next hdc], repeat around (10 shells), sc down the side (I do 2 for each row so a total of 6 down the side), continuing around sc across the bottom along the original chain, sl st, F/O and weave in ends

I hope someone else can get use out of this pattern modification for another doll!  Pictures of the doll boots to come! 

ENJOY!

Please note: Patterns are for personal and charity use only.  If you enjoy the pattern, please link to it, but do not copy the pattern to your own website or blog.